Man who murdered waitress by throwing her down from car park gets life imprisonment, caning

SINGAPORE: A man who murdered a waitress by throwing her over a parapet at a multi-storey car park four years ago was sentenced on Thursday (Jul 4) to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.

Syed Maffi Hassan, now 28, had claimed trial to the charge and was found guilty last month. 

He first got to know the victim, Pizza Hut waitress Atika Dolkifli, on Facebook in early 2013, before reconnecting in May 2015. 

On Aug 31, 2015, the pair had a dispute at the car park at Block 146A Toa Payoh Lorong 2 over the cost of repairing a phone.

During the quarrel, Syed Maffi pushed the 23-year-old woman on her chest and she fell backwards off the edge of a flight of steps, hitting the back of her head.

Syed Maffi then dragged Ms Atika by her armpits to Deck 5A of the car park and threw her over the railing. She fell head first on the landing at Deck 3A, and Syed Maffi left with some of her belongings.

Her decomposing body was found only three days later when a passer-by discovered it.

The prosecution asked for life imprisonment, pointing out that Syed Maffi did not try to see if he could help the victim, and did not assist in investigations, feigning ignorance instead.

Syed Maffi was convicted of causing such bodily injury that would likely cause Atika’s death.

ACCUSED ASKS FOR LEAST POSSIBLE NUMBER OF STROKES OF THE CANE

Defence lawyer Kishan Pratap said his client asked only for the least possible number of strokes of the cane.

He said Syed Maffi was the youngest of three sons who stayed with his mother and tended to her needs. His mother suffered "from constant pain and discomfort" due to a slipped disk.

Of her other two sons, one stayed alone by himself while the other was incarcerated for drug offences. It was from this brother that Syed Maffi picked up a drug habit, said the lawyer, calling it "rather sad".

Syed Maffi spent time in a boys' home between 2007 and 2009 and was jailed in 2011 for methamphetamine consumption.

He worked as a cleaner and dishwasher, but returned to drugs and was jailed again in 2015, said the lawyer.

Syed Maffi also had an eye operation in 2007 after he was "assaulted" by another person in the boys' home he was at, and almost went "totally blind", said the defence lawyer.

"He regrets his actions and it was something he acted out of proportion ... during a fit of fury," said the lawyer. 

"He wishes to apologise to the family of the deceased and hopes they will forgive him."

Justice Aedit Abdullah said that in general when death is caused, the number of strokes given would be in the region of 12, and he did not see any reason to deviate from this in this case.